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powerpuffgoat's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
What a load of drivel.
This book made its way to my TBR because I've seen readers recommend it to Black Mirror fans.
At first, I was intrigued. Mercuro's story sets an interesting scene. I thought that this was going to be a way to expose his awful, narcissistic views of women and complete unwillingness to take accountability. I assumed the author knew what she was doing because Mercuro was so clearly using phrases donned by abusers and women haters yet playing the victim at the same time.
Instead, what follows is a sequence of events so incredibly stupid, my face was tired of rolling my eyes and cringing. In addition to letting a paranoid stranger stay at her apartment, our Swedish writer (self-insert much?) agrees to go on holiday with Mercuro, at which point both of their actions are entirely for the plot. It feels like bad improv, like the prompts were pulled out of a hat at random, and the characters did things just because.
What was up with the elderly couple? Why is the writer so obsessed with describing people's bodies, and frankly, expressing such contempt for body hair or body fat? I know it's the author because this comes from every character. It might have been understandable from Mercuro, but why is an old nun mentioning how crusty someone's underwear was in a letter? The way everyone doses off multiple times per day, in public places... How do multiple characters share this trait?
Sor Lucia's narration is also bizzare because of the format. I don't mind monologues, and in fact, Mercuro's monologue at least fit the situation. But choosing letters as a narrative form, the author made a strange choice. Several times, Lucia mentions how much she hopes her letter would not bore the recipient, and yet she waffles on and on.
If it at least all tied into a story, I might not be as annoyed. But there is no cohesiveness, it just feels indulgent on the author's part.
The nun, who mentions her dainty size at every chance, is apparently able to break a human neck in one swift motion, too. Just because.
I have to admit that the girl had risen in my estimation. Her forthright speech, her eloquent vocabulary, and the clarity with which she uttered those words.
I couldn't help but laugh at the pretentiousness. The passage above was in reference to Lucia meeting Ada, who introduced herself, expressed the desire to be called Miss Pink, and confirmed that she believed to be carrying a holy child. So eloquent!
Additionally, there was an aesthetic decision made to change the colour of the first letter of every new paragraph. Except they missed some and that annoyed me on top of everything else.
This book made its way to my TBR because I've seen readers recommend it to Black Mirror fans.
At first, I was intrigued. Mercuro's story sets an interesting scene. I thought that this was going to be a way to expose his awful, narcissistic views of women and complete unwillingness to take accountability. I assumed the author knew what she was doing because Mercuro was so clearly using phrases donned by abusers and women haters yet playing the victim at the same time.
Instead, what follows is a sequence of events so incredibly stupid, my face was tired of rolling my eyes and cringing. In addition to letting a paranoid stranger stay at her apartment, our Swedish writer (self-insert much?) agrees to go on holiday with Mercuro, at which point both of their actions are entirely for the plot. It feels like bad improv, like the prompts were pulled out of a hat at random, and the characters did things just because.
What was up with the elderly couple? Why is the writer so obsessed with describing people's bodies, and frankly, expressing such contempt for body hair or body fat? I know it's the author because this comes from every character. It might have been understandable from Mercuro, but why is an old nun mentioning how crusty someone's underwear was in a letter? The way everyone doses off multiple times per day, in public places... How do multiple characters share this trait?
Sor Lucia's narration is also bizzare because of the format. I don't mind monologues, and in fact, Mercuro's monologue at least fit the situation. But choosing letters as a narrative form, the author made a strange choice. Several times, Lucia mentions how much she hopes her letter would not bore the recipient, and yet she waffles on and on.
If it at least all tied into a story, I might not be as annoyed. But there is no cohesiveness, it just feels indulgent on the author's part.
The nun, who mentions her dainty size at every chance, is apparently able to break a human neck in one swift motion, too. Just because.
I have to admit that the girl had risen in my estimation. Her forthright speech, her eloquent vocabulary, and the clarity with which she uttered those words.
I couldn't help but laugh at the pretentiousness. The passage above was in reference to Lucia meeting Ada, who introduced herself, expressed the desire to be called Miss Pink, and confirmed that she believed to be carrying a holy child. So eloquent!
Additionally, there was an aesthetic decision made to change the colour of the first letter of every new paragraph. Except they missed some and that annoyed me on top of everything else.
gardner0214's review
5.0
This book is so deranged it's genuinely hilarious. Not sure if that is the intention, but who cares! I loved it!
juliabittorf's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
emmakowalski's review
3.0
I've experienced this many times, I've just finished watching a foreign movie; the main character is lesbian doing drugs and is currently fighting in the trenches during world war 1, actually she is not doing drugs because she's addicted to it, she's doing drugs for the sake of her sister Irina who has a gothic horror doll which she loves very much. The ending of the film is the the fading out of a clip where she swallows a rainbow. This is carnality, I wouldn't say I understand the meaning of all parts but i can say I grasped some of what it wants to convey. The book could've been more cohesive and decisive about its purpose but whatever I need some strange books on my life. Definitely, this is the kind of book of I will think about while I'm having a drink or out smoking lol
littles_librarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
smblanc1793's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I thought this was paced well; it had a good sense of mystery and intrigue. But I was expecting something a little more out there for a book with the phrase “diabolical nun” in the description.